This is the kind of tour we never get in Montreal. Most sludge bands don't tour outside the United States, so I was pleasantly surprised when the show was anounced. The line-up of that tour is just fantastic. Things started out with the band that I enjoy the most on this tour: Gaza. They were originally supposed to play at 8:30, but because of the curfew, the promoter moved them to 7:45 (and made them cut their set), so I guess a lot of people accidentally missed them. Nevertheless, they gave an impressive performance, though it was pretty short. They managed to create a very dark atmosphere and their singer always sang on the floor, yelling in people's faces. It was entertaining and I enjoyed them a lot more than when I saw them two years ago. I wanted to buy their first CD and the East EP, but I ended up totally forgetting about them at the end of the concert. :bouville:

Then, Black Cobra was playing. I had forgotten their were a duo and I was septic in the beginning, but they crushed my expectations. At first, there were some sound problems: we couldn't hear the kick drums. Fortunately, it all got fixed quickly. Jason Landrian's guitar tone sounded like a fucking ton of bricks. I actually liked them a lot more live than on record. Their primitive brand of downtuned stoner metal was perfect when played at ear-drum shattering volume. One of the highlights was the blasting "Obliteration" at the end of their set. I really enjoyed them, so I'll have to listen to their albums (especially Invernal) more seriously.

The last of the supporting bands was Torche. Just like for Gaza, I was really excited to see them. They also probably had largest audience of the evening; the venue was close to being full. They were extremely fun, due to the extreme catchiness of their tunes and the multiplied live heaviness of all of their instruments (the bass was surprisingly loud too). They had a pretty cool stage presence too. They moved a lot, especially their bassist. The only thing that sucked about their set is that their drummer kept having problems with his snare and there often were long pauses between the songs for him to fix his drum. At least, the other musicians made noise or jammed to make the wait seem shorter. Anyhow, I loved their show and the crowd did too. "Tarpit Carnivore" was crushingly heavy; it was the perfect way to end their set.

At last, headliners Corrosion of Conformity hit the stage. A lot of old school fans were waiting to see them, but the crowd was sparser than for Torche. They played as a three piece (without Pepper Keenan) and it felt like something was missing in the bluesier/doomier songs. They weren't all as heavy as I would have expected them to be, with some exceptions, like "Deliverance". Because of that and because I was exhausted, I didn't enjoy them as much as I thought I would. However, the old crossover songs from Animosity were really fun live. When they played "Loss for Words" the first real pits of the evening started raging, and continued throughout the set, even though the number of participants was low most of the times. Corrosion of Conformity are a great live band, but I think that some songs could have sounded heavier. I also have to give a special mention to Woody Weatherman's stage personality: he was always smiling and seemed to have a great time, and his stage moves were really fun to watch.

Gaza (missing 2 songs)

Canine Disposal Unit
He Is Never Coming Back
This We Celebrate (new song)
Hospital Fat Bags

Black Cobra (partial)

Chronosphere
Avalanche
Negative Reversal
Obliteration

Torche

Grenades
Walk It Off
Kicking
In Pieces
Reverse Inverted
Healer
Across the Shields
Sky Trials
Charge of the Brown Recluse
Tarpit Carnivore

I saw this show in Vancouver, it was pretty freaking awesome!! Torche just destroyed. I think they played a couple different songs as well. Gaza and Black Cobra were suprising too. Black Cobra sounded like High On Fire without a Bass Player and less solo's.

I picked up the newist Torche cd for 10$ as well :) all in all worth the 25$ I paid for the ticket.

energymetal14

06-23-2012, 12:49 PM

I'm going to this show tonight, sounds like I'm in for a good time!

bigguytoo9

06-23-2012, 08:33 PM

COC also played the first half of HAND OF DOOM as the encore as well. At least in Vancouver.

VoidFlame

06-24-2012, 06:54 AM

COC also played the first half of HAND OF DOOM as the encore as well. At least in Vancouver.

They played some teaser of it in Montreal, but I didn't really consider it as a song they played.

PlaysWithKnives

06-24-2012, 07:50 AM

Good review. Cool it was a good show. This COC set wouldnt do it for me though. Im not a fan of pre Pepper and the new stuff a whole lot. I may have to check out the other bands though.

bigguytoo9

06-24-2012, 07:50 AM

They played some teaser of it in Montreal, but I didn't really consider it as a song they played.
true, but I still thought it was cool!

VelvetHarry

06-25-2012, 05:00 AM

That COC set is only so-so for me.. Deliverance and Wiseblood are my favorite albums of theirs.. would love to see Vote with a Bullet live though..